BIO
Pearl Brunings, a Surinamese-born painter, began her artistic journey in 2000, initially exploring self-reflection through forms inspired by feminine strength and abstract color work. Over time, her practice deepened, leading her to explore how personal and ancestral memory can be translated into abstract, surreal, dreamlike landscapes.
Drawing from her African, Asian, and European heritage, her work does not rely on literal symbolism but instead evokes atmosphere, rhythm, and a sense of quiet enchantment. Her paintings are shaped by memories, imagination, and an ancestral bond with nature, inviting reflection on humanity’s relationship with the living world.
Based in South-America, Pearl also creates art in Europe. Her mixed heritage shapes her international perspective, and her work invites viewers to explore the intangible and tangible, blending themes of cultural identity, nature, and spirituality. With a sense of mystique and gentle magic, her paintings offer glimpses into imagined landscapes where presence, memory, and imagination subtly intertwine.
CV
Born in 1969 in Paramaribo, Suriname
Resides and works in Paramaribo, Suriname
Education/Training
2000-2002 – Painting apprenticeship with visual artist Soeki Irodikromo, Paramaribo, Suriname
2001-2005 – Graphic design training from graphic and visual artist Henna M. Brunings, Paramaribo, Suriname
2002-2004 – Painting apprenticeship with visual artist George Struikelblok, Paramaribo, Suriname
Selected Solo Exhibitions
· Woven Worlds, Kasteel Le Paige, Herentals, Belgium, 2026
· The Art of Pearl Brunings, Stichting NK, VIP Lounge Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport, Para, Suriname, 2024
· When Golf Meets Art, Golfclub Paramaribo, Suriname, 2023
· Unchained, De Hal, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2023
· Che’s Presents Art from Hex’s Heart, Che’s Bar Tapas Cigars, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2021
Selected Group Exhibitions
· Stichting Sanjay’s Najaar Salon 2025, Vrij Paleis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 2025
· Stichting Sanjay’s Najaar Salon 2024, Vrij Paleis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 2024
· SIAF 2022 Pop-Up, Surinaamsch Rumhuis, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2023
· 43rd Regular Meeting of the Heads of Government of the CARICOM, Royal Torarica, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2022
· High Level Security Conference 2022, Torarica Resort & Royal Torarica, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2022
· Artlife of Rum, Surinaamsch Rumhuis, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2022
· Diff’rent Strokes, Centro Andres Bello Community Centre, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2004
· Faces, Fort Zeelandia (Building 9), Paramaribo, Suriname, 2001
Art Fairs
· Nationale Kunstbeurs 2023 (NK 2023), De Hal, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2023
· Nationale Kunstbeurs 2022 (NK 2022), De Hal, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2022
· Nationale Kunstbeurs 2021 (NK 2021), Virtual art fair, 2021
Collections
· Works acquired by CBK Zuidoost, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
· Paintings acquired by H.E. Albert Egbert Jubithana, Minister of Transport, Communications and Tourism, Republic of Suriname, and gifted to:
o H.E. Ruisandro Cijntje, Minister of Economic Development, Government of Curaçao
o H.E. Charles Fernandes Cooper, Minister of Traffic, Transportation and Urban Planning, Government of Curaçao
· Her works are held in private and corporate collections in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Suriname, Sweden, Türkiye, and the United States
Selected press
· Surinamese artist launches crowdfunding campaign for Belgian solo exhibition, Suriname Times (2025)
· Visual artist Brunings invited for solo exhibition in Belgium, De Ware Tijd Online (2025)
· Artist Pearl Brunings: ‘I used to draw on the bedsheets and the walls of the house’, Parbode Magazine (Feature article, 2025)
· Featured three times on “Q-Time with Pearl Brunings,” Supreme Suriname TV (2022, 2023, 2025)
· Minister Jubithana presents artworks to colleagues in Curaçao as gifts, Starnieuws (2023)
· Exhibition ‘Unchained’: an ode to creative freedom, Waterkant (2023)
· Raoul Roeplal, Visual artist Pearl Brunings holds her first major solo exhibition, ABC TV Suriname (2023)
· Pearl Brunings unveils versatile art in ‘Unchained’, De Ware Tijd (2023)
· Tascha Aveloo, Art and Culture, De Ware Tijd (2022)
· Episode 09 – April 29, 2021, Eygi Du Magazine podcast (2021)
· Video portrait of Pearl Brunings, Sranan Fawaka, MTNL TV Amsterdam (2021)
Professional Contributions
· Facilitator of Maluwana, Paint Your Inner Journey workshops, combining art and personal reflection, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2025
· Facilitator of Maluwana, Paint Your Inner Journey workshops, Herentals, Belgium, 2024
· Selection committee member, Nationale Kunstbeurs 2023, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2023
· Founder and organizer of The Mobile Exhibition, Paramaribo, Suriname, 2023
· Graphic designer, Paramaribo, Suriname (2005-present)
Community Engagement & Funding
2025 – Crowdfunding campaign successfully raised €6,563, demonstrating strong public engagement and a growing base of collectors and supporters